On April 1, Phuket officials confirmed that two flights carrying tourists from Germany would kick off the airport’s reopening process. Thai Airways International announced two direct flights from Germany to the island.
On April 3, Thai Airways' direct flight from Frankfurt landed at Phuket International Airport. Vaccinated travelers only have to quarantine for one week, while those who have not been vaccinated will have their quarantine period reduced from 14 days to 10 days under the new policy.
There are currently no details about the remaining flight from Frankfurt on May 8 of Thai Airways.
Phuket was previously given the green light to reopen to international visitors from July 1. Vaccinated visitors are exempt from mandatory quarantine if 70% of the island’s population has been vaccinated by the time they arrive. However, visitors from countries where new variants of the virus have been detected, or where the risk of Covid-19 is high, may not be able to have their quarantine shortened or exempted, even if they have been vaccinated.
The Phuket Tourism Association estimates 150,000 visitors from July to September this year. Before the pandemic, Thailand's second-most visited international destination welcomed 800,000 to 1 million visitors a month.
The Thai government plans to reopen Phuket first on a trial basis. Koh Samui is next, and the island is also seeking approval for quarantine-free travel for foreign visitors. Thailand plans to open the entire country to vaccinated visitors by October.
